Guys! I just discovered a newly halal-certified café in my favourite food hood, Arab St, and it’s called Hyde & Co. As DJ Khaled likes to say, ANOTHER ONE! I owe it all to my tennis coach, who brought me to the café earlier today after our lesson.

Hyde & Co has been around on North Bridge Road close to about a year and a half now, but they’ve only just received their official halal certification in early April 2016, so I expect it to get real crazy real fast.

Yes.

With the talented Chef Nazlie (Nazz) at its helm, Hyde & Co offers up a menu that boasts an enviable range of dishes so everyone is guaranteed to find something they like. In a number of the starters and mains, you see western fare with an Asian twist, such as the Nasi Lemak Risotto. This fusion dish is available on their dinner menu, and is the brainchild of Chef Nazz himself.

Unlike a lot of the other halal cafés in the vicinity, Hyde & Co also has a dedicated brunch menu which you can peruse online here.

Chef Nazz, who was kind enough to answer all my fangirl questions

First, pictures of our drinks! I had the Into The Woods (S$7.50), which is an iced tea of a blend of berries, hibiscus and rosehip. YUM.

I KNOW RIGHT! Too pretty. Wish I could’ve had a whole vat of it. 9.5/10

My coach had an Iced Black (S$6), which came looking like the manliest drink ever on a black saucer:

My coach’s very manly-looking glass of iced coffee. Unrated, but I liked the way it looked on the black saucer.

We decided on a couple of starters to share pretty quickly, the first of which was the Parmesan Fries (S$8), with a chipotle aioli dip:

Parmesan Fries (S$8). That delicious chipotle aioli dip though!!

YUMMMMM UGHHHHH

The parmesan smelled delicious, and was a welcome addition to these thicker-cut fries. I really, really liked the chipotle aioli dip which was smokey and flavourful. I love all chipotle everything!! I thought the fries were just the slightest bit dry, but I suppose it’s good that these weren’t dripping in oil. I can’t wait for them to have a truffled version of these! 8/10

We also went for the Hyde signature starter, the Beef Brisket Man Tou (S$10), which features slow-cooked, pulled beef brisket in homemade BBQ sauce and slaw served between fried mantou buns (the kind you dip in chilli crab sauce!):

The Beef Brisket Man Tou (S$10). In love with the plate, but even more taken with what’s on it ❤

OMG crispy glistening mantou with that shreddy af beef brisket!

I MEAN. I bit into the mantou slider and it was like heavennnnn. The mantou bun was crispy and the beef brisket was just the most delicious, juicy, tender meat ever! The slaw provided some crunch and also helped to cut the rich barbecue taste of the brisket, so you get a good mixture of tastes and textures.

My only concern was that the mantou buns could get a little oily, and so I asked Chef Nazz if we could request for steamed mantou buns instead of fried ones to go with the brisket. He confirmed it can be done, folks! When I go back again maybe I’ll try ordering that and let you guys know how that is 🙂 9.5/10

When I checked out the list of mains, I found myself wanting to order several dishes at once, since everything sounded delicious. In the end, however, I went for the option that jumped out at me most — the Fried Chicken Waffle (S$17) which has a sunny side up egg atop some prawn paste chicken and fries, served on a waffle alongside honey dijon syrup:

AHHHH you guys where do I begin. From the first bite of the chicken and waffle, I knew this was going to be a winner. The prawn paste taste was strong and pungent, in a good way. I complimented Chef Naz on the chicken, and he revealed the secret behind it – they marinate their chicken in prawn paste for 48 hours to make sure it’s not just the coating but alsi the meat that absorb the flavour. Thumbs all the way up.

Usually in chicken and waffle dishes I find the waffles to be quite a distraction, like it’s too sweet or gets in the way of the chicken, but Hyde & Co’s waffle was quite perfect as a subtly salted base to absorb the runny egg and the honey dijon. I could not get enough of that sauce, which was at once sweet and tangy with a mustard kick. Overall a superlative combination of flavours and textures. 10/10

I found this dish very pleasing – it’s just the thing if you’re looking for a simple plate of pasta. The linguini was al dente, and the arrabiata sauce had a good spicy kick to it so you don’t get jelak. I also liked the grape tomatoes providing a little tangy flavour. 9/10

For dessert we just had to try their signature Ondeh-ondeh French Toast (S$12), which comprises a brioche French toast topped with grated pandan coconut and vanilla bean ice-cream, sprinkled with chocolate brownie bits, and drizzled with gula melaka sauce:

The Ondeh-Ondeh French Toast (S$12). OH DEAR GOD.

This was a straight up home run. I usually prefer my desserts on the tangy end of the spectrum, but all it took was a bite of this and I was sold. With every bite of the brioche, my mouth filled with a a heady mix of syrupy, creamy, and buttery goodness. The delicious gula melaka made the dessert taste like a scrumptious ondeh-ondeh/kueh lopez hybrid, which was just so reassuring. The different flavours, textures and temperatures at play here combine to make a solid dessert that will surely become a crowd favourite. 10/10

A distinguishing characteristic of Hyde & Co is that they chose tea, not coffee, as their specialty, so of course we had to end our meal with a pot of our own:

My mum would love this! Terrible picture though.

We went for the Premium Lapsang Souchong at S$12.50 a pot. It was SO delicious and had a lingering smoky taste. I’m more of a green tea/earl grey girl but I think I might be a lapsang souchong convert after this!

Here’s their extensive and descriptive Tea menu:

All in all I had a fantastic time at Hyde & Co and have already made plans with some other friends to go back, particularly to try their dinner menu (Steak Frites! Nasi Lemak Risotto! CLAMSSSSSS.) I already can’t wait! The food is really top notch here; service is friendly and the aesthetic is quite minimalist and clean. Go check it out ASAP guys!